Writing content that connects with readers and delivers the outcomes you want can be difficult. But there’s one easy to implement trick that could help: picture the audience you’re writing for.

Whether you’re writing a blog post, social media update, or a key facts document, having a clearly defined audience in mind can make your words far more engaging.

Rather than writing simply for someone that could benefit from financial planning, be more precise. Next time you’re writing, imagine who you want to read it:

• What challenges or concerns do they have?
• What are their priorities or aspirations?
• How could financial advice benefit them?
• Are there practical steps they could take?

As a financial planner, picturing a specific client could be useful. Or you may want to focus on a defined client group, such as business owners or those nearing their retirement date.

Writing for a defined audience could improve your content in these five ways.

1. It can give your content purpose

As you’ll have someone in mind when you’re writing, it can give your content purpose.

Rather than simply giving an update about market volatility, you can think about what your aim is. Do you want to reassure existing clients that their long-term goals are still on track? Or do you want to encourage prospects to get in touch to review their level of risk?

While both updates would be about investment volatility, to engage with the intended audience, they’d be written differently.

Content that’s written with a goal in mind is more likely to deliver the results you want. So, before you put pen to paper (or start typing), ask: why am I writing this, and who is it for?

2. It can make your content more authentic

If you find that your written words are often more formal than they would be in person, having an audience in mind when writing can make your content more engaging.

Dense, formal content can be off-putting. In contrast, an informal approach can help readers feel like there is a person behind the words. It means your content sounds more authentic and can help establish a connection.

Think about how you’d talk to clients or prospects when you have a meeting – capturing that tone of voice in your written content can be incredibly useful.

3. It can make your content more accessible

As a financial planner, you understand what LTA or SIPP means, but does your audience? Picturing the person that will be reading it can mean you spot where you’re using jargon or acronyms that would make it less accessible.

As well as acronyms, a clear audience can highlight where terms or rules would benefit from an explanation too. You know what you mean when you say “the LTA rules have changed”, but it’s likely your reader wouldn’t understand what’s changed or what it means for them.

If you think your clients are intelligent, successful people, so you have to write in a way that reflects that, you’d be wrong.

Research shows people overwhelmingly prefer content that is written in plain language they can easily understand, even when they’re highly educated. Adam’s recent blog takes a closer look at the research and offers some language tips to make your content easier to read.

4. It can improve the structure of your content

How you structure content matters. Improving the structure can make it flow better and keep people reading until the end.

Thinking about how you’d approach a topic in person can be useful. If you’re chatting with a prospect, you wouldn’t jump straight in talking about your fees, you’d take some time to understand their challenges and how you could help first.

Your content should take the same approach. If you’re providing a solution, make sure you explain what the problem is and why it matters first. Use your intended audience to understand how to approach different topics in a way that will appeal to them.

5. It gives you a chance to write an impactful call to action

When you start writing content, you should know what you want the outcome to be. Do you want the reader to download a guide, or give you a call?

As you’ve tailored all your content to the audience you’re targeting, the call to action can be much more impactful. So, picturing an audience can deliver better results for you and your business.

Contact us to talk about your content

If you want to get more out of your content, get in touch. From writing blogs to creating a strategy, our talented team can work with you to improve engagement and outcomes.

Email hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or call 0115 8965 300 to speak to us.